Mahler: Symphony No .5

Gustav Mahler (Composer), Eliahu Inbal (Conductor), Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Eliahu Inbal
• Composer: Gustav Mahler
• Audio CD (August 30, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Denon Records
• ASIN: B0000034LN
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #422,823 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best 5th's!, February 27, 2000

By 

MasterG (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No .5 (Audio CD)

Of the seven recordings I own of this work, Inbal's version is the best, surpassing even Bernstein and Karajan in my opinion. Inbal and his performers pay attention to the details and play with a ferver and intensity usually only found in live performance. It also has been recorded superbly, better than any recent releases I can think of. This should be an Amazon.com essential recording, not the Bernstien. By all means, go right ahead and buy this terrific rendition of Mahler's 5th. You will be very pleased indeed.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Power and beauty, crisply recorded..., February 1, 2006

By 

Pater Ecstaticus (Norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No .5 (Audio CD)

The trumpet fanfare immediately sets the stage of this magnificent 'Mahler Five'. It is powerful but somewhat relaxed, with a nice raspiness and bright, steely edge to its timbre. This is also true for all of the brass in this recording. This may be the efect of the recording quality - which is quite direct and very detailed - but anyhow, I really love it.
When I say that the playing is relaxed doesn't mean there is no 'digging into' the music. On the contrary, but Inbal has a way with Mahler which is very 'natural', taking the music 'at face value'. But at the same time, the playing is both powerful and energetic, with a lot of 'oomph' when necessary, but never ever becoming slack. For example, the Scherzo middle-movement sounds really 'Kräftig' (Powerful) indeed. The ensuing Adagietto is truly wonderfully sweet and flowing, but at the same time filled with a great sense of wonder, awe and anticipation; played as a true love song here. The Rondo-Finale is good-humoured and relaxed, slowly but surely guiding us towards the enormous final climactic chorale, which here is truly glaring with optimism and (ironic) good-humouredness.
The overall sound of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra is, to my ears, warm, full-bodied and clear, with a 'no-nonsense-attitude', but also powerful. And the excellent crisp, natural-sounding Denon-recording (with only two microphones) makes us hear every little nuance in timbres of the different instruments (again: wonderfully exciting and powerful brass!), so that, for example, the woodwinds do stand out in the picture, when they need to.
This Mahler Five for me can hold pride of place beside such recordings as those by Haitink, Bernstein, Chailly and Zander, and should IMHO be listened to at least a few times by anyone who loves Mahler's Fifth Symphony.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This definitely can't be ignored, April 13, 2004

By 

Shota Hanai (Torrance, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No .5 (Audio CD)

Sure this isn't the Grammophone Bernstein (Overrated? Maybe) or Solti, but this recording definitely can't be ignored!

Very fine trumpet solo in the beginning of the piece, very nice (and as Mahler liked, very free) tempi on both slow (the funeral march), and fast (the trumpet - the protagonist - desparately fighting against the storm of collapse and failure). The third movement is a bit slow and heavy compared to most recordings I've heard, but it's still very nice. The soothing fourth movement was excellent, and the remaining two sounded great as well.

Like I said before, this recording can't be ignored. Period. Don't hesitante to buy the CD.